Asia Cup 2025 | Match 9: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh | Preview and Predictions

The action continues in the 2025 Asia Cup as the teams look to lock in the Super Four spots. Group B’s two strongest teams, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, will take on each other in Match 9 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 16.

For the game, here are our preview and predictions.

Asia Cup 2025 | Match 9: AFG vs BAN | 20:00 IST, September 16

Afghanistan come into this game on the back of a big win against Hong Kong in the opener and have been the only team to cross the 160-run mark in the tournament until now. Their young, explosive opener Sediqullah Atal — who impressed in the recent tri-series against Pakistan and the UAE — again provided his team with a flying start by smashing his way to 73, and while the experienced Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran failed, Azmatullah Omarzai and the veteran Mohammad Nabi got some crucial runs.

With the ball Afghanistan were clinical, with Fazalhaq Farooqi leading the attack and continuing to be a crucial wicket-taker. Captain Rashid Khan marshalled his troops well on the field and was clinical with the ball himself, with Noor Ahmad and Gulbadin Naib further providing him with bowling support. The only aspect Afghanistan will want to improve is their catching; some sloppy attempts in the opening game were a bit of a blot on an otherwise strong performance.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, have had a mixed campaign: after winning their opener against Hong Kong, they were comprehensively beaten by a stronger opposition in Sri Lanka. Bangladesh’s openers haven’t had the best of starts and have failed to provide the team with a solid platform, with captain Litton Das bailing his team out on both occasions. On paper, there is plenty of talent and firepower thanks to the likes of Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, and Mahedi Hasan, but the lack of batting depth means that the top order continues to have a lot of responsibility. 

That said, the Bangla Tigers have been clinical with the ball in both games, with Mahedi Hasan and Tanzim Hasan Sakib being crucial in slow conditions. They also have arguably one of the finest slow bowlers in the shortest format of the game in Mustafizur Rahman, whom Das will expect to step up and lead the bowling attack. 

Playing at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, where both teams have played all their games, it should be a tight encounter as they go about cementing themselves as Asia’s second-best team. While we may not see a lot of runs on board, Afghanistan hold the edge for us in this encounter given their squad depth. 

Fantasy XI: Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Litton Das, Towhid Hridoy, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mahedi Hasan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Winners Prediction: Afghanistan